Laurance became Under-23 World Champion last year in Glasgow and Mads Pedersen was World Road Champion in 2019 and the two were involved in a duel at the finish of the 2nd stage of Etoile de Bessèges this Thursday.
The Frenchman is a strong classic runner and today he beat Mads Pedersen on the 900 meter climb to Rousson on the Etoile de Bessèges, on climbs of 10%. It was an early sprint launched by the 22-year-old, which ultimately proved to be the right decision as he overtook the Dane.
Laurance: “The last 50 meters were terrible…”
“The last 50 meters were horrible… I really wanted this, the team did an incredible job all day, I owed them at least that much,” Laurance shared with French website L’Équipe.
“I know this suits my type of finishing, I saw the 150 meter sign and said to myself ‘like in training, with power, we can’t stop’.”
“It was liberating, last year I had a good season, the pressure is definitely big, everyone is waiting for me, so it’s good to confirm it straight away.”
This makes Laurance the first leader of the race, and the general classification is not a very distant goal. “We know that at Étoile de Bessèges the general classification is often decided by time bonuses.”
“I still have stages that favor me, so we will try to do good things. Afterwards, there will be a Time Trial, it will be difficult to keep the shirt on. But first we will try to have two beautiful days”, concluded the young man.
Watch the World Champions duel